Originally posted by goodknight65:
I think we can all agree that the student-athlete model of intercollegiate athletics has become distorted over the past several decades, and it's also fairly apparent that the Service Academies' sports programs have lost status in the process, The rapid growth in professional sports has shifted the student-athlete balance away from student and toward athletic performance especially in the revenue producing sports of football and baseball. The service academies, because of their unique missions, have not been able to adjust as well to this change in priorities for a lot of athletes.
The recent lawsuit at Northwestern and aftershock news coming out of UConn highlighted the trend toward de facto professionalization of college football and basketball at many larger institutions, and college presidents who were pacified by the revenue flow, are paying more attention to the consequences of their benign neglect;
Recently the Big Ten released a statement outlining plans to tip the balance back in the direction of the student side of the student-athlete model.
http://www.bigten.org/genrel/062414aaa.html
It's a start, but there are additional value distortions that were highlighted in the NWU case that need to be addressed as well. The claims of 60 hour per week commitments to football activities certainly mock the NCAA rules that limit accountable athletic activities to 20 hours per week during the season and 8 hours out of season. The claims of some athletes that they were denied opportunities to take classes they wanted to take toward their chosen field speaks volumes to the priorities that athletic programs have put in place in those institutions.
I'm perhaps more of an idealist than a realist when it comes to college sports, but I welcome any action by the university presidents to restore the educational commitment that has been lost for many athletes.
One thing that distinguishes Service Academy athletics from those of most civilian institutions (other than the Ivy League) is that we do not give out athletic scholarships, and we require all of our athletes to participate fully in the coursework and other activities that are required to become a highly qualified officer in the armed services. Every cadet and midshipman receives the same scholarship based on the same obligations, whether they're an athlete or not. Every cadet and midshipmen who successfully completes the 4 year course of study at an SA will be commissioned as an officer in the armed forces That's just a statement of reality. A small handful of SA athletes are able to pursue sports at a professional level providing that it does not detract from their service obligation. In addition to the three players in the NFL, we have graduates who have participated in professional baseball and professional lacrosse, and Navy even has a guy playing in the PGA, but only as their service commitments allowed.
The lead post in this thread states a logical position that is echoed in the statement released by the Big Ten affirming that the priority of educational institutions should be education, and that the institutions have an obligation to prepare their students for life beyond sports. That position is echoed in the recent statement released by the Big Ten.
No doubt Army loses a few highly skilled athletes every year because of the service obligation and that's no doubt true for AFA and Navy as well, (((( but we also attract a few athletes (and parents) who recognize that the service commitment can be an opportunity rather than an obligation. ))) If that high school wants more than anything to play professional sports, then the SA route is not the best route to take.
